The Industrial Revolution (1.045 words) Between 1750 and 1850 Britain became an industrialized country.

Population grew rapidly in large numbers and big cities were built, were industries would establish. Britain was given the name the Workshop of the World, as most of the goods were built there. The first Industrial Revolution happened between 1850 and 1880. In 1851 the Great Exhibition was held in London with the idea of showing off Britains industrial achievements to the whole world. We are not talking of a political revolution, or an economical revolution. The Industrial Revolution was a non-violent social change which concerned the way in which people worked and lived deeply. The changes were gradual and part of a process that had been going on for a long time. Before, the domestic system was used, in which goods were made by hand by craftspeople in small workshops or in their own homes. But afterwards the building of machines and factories occurred on a massive scale, and production of goods was hugely boosted. Britains wealth started to grow in a frenetic way. But it didnt occur with any reasons. A series of possible causes, meticulously studied by historians, made the Industrial Revolution start in Britain: Firstly, Britain had had large amounts of coal to power the steam engines and plenty of iron ore to turn into iron. Organic fuels based on wood were replaced by fossil fuels based on coal. Sir Clement Clerke and other people created, around 1678, coal reverberatory furnaces known as cupolas, which separated ore from coal, and which reduced the oxide to metal. The process became quicker. Moreover, even more mines were dug in a better way, all over the island. Secondly, there were many rich people who were prepared to risk their money in starting up new factories, for example Richard Arkwright and Matthew Boulton. Britain produced great inventors because of its excellent schools, as Eton and Harrow, and its Universities like Oxford and Cambridge. In addition, Presbyterians or Puritans living in Britain at that moment were very serious-minded people. A few inventors inspired many others to use and improve upon their ideas. Thirdly, Britain was a peaceful country, as it held the European balance through the entire continent. After 1750 no wars were fought in Britain, even though Napoleon Bonaparte established the Continental Blockade, which was a foreign policy used during the Napoleonic Wars. It was a large-scale embargo against British trade, inaugurated on1806. In response, the British Invasions occurred in the viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata. However, this embargo ended on 1814 after Napoleon's first abdication. Political stability made Britain a safe place for bankers and businesspeople to invest in new industries. Better still, income tax didnt exist in Britain until 1799. Even though its not a direct cause of the Industrial Revolution, it can also be said that Adam Smith wrote in 1776 a book called The Wealth of Nations, in which he said that the government should keep out of trade and industry. He said that Britain would be better off if business people were left to get on without government interfering. This policy, called laissezfaire which means leave alone was followed, as a liberal principle. Moreover, the number of banks in Britain was increasing continually, which meant that people could borrow money to invest into industry. The Bank of England was the most important. This process encouraged the Industrial Revolution. Also, Britain received raw materials from colonies overseas. They were also markets for British factory-made goods. Britains colonies were: the thirteen colonies in America, most of Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, countless smaller states and islands, and Ireland. The merchant navy was used for translation of goods. British agriculture was becoming more efficient at that time, producing more food. People working in factories could therefore be fed.

Industrial goods could be moved more easily from one place to another as changes in transport were made. Roads were improved and canals were built. Population grew rapidly in Britain between 1750 and 1850. This happened due to important changes in agriculture which led to greater food production, and because of an improvement in medical knowledge and treatment of disease. This meant that there was much higher demand for industrial goods, and plenty of people were available to work for the factories. Finally, there was a great interesting science and technology. Many new inventions were created which helped to mechanize the factories. For example, James Watts steam engine; this was used to operate pumps, to drive machinery or to turn wheels. Inventions also boosted the Textile Revolution. Before, textiles or cloth had always been handmade. Turning raw materials into cloth involved several stages. Spinning was done using a yarn and a spinning-wheel. Fibres were stretchered into long strands and were winded together into a continuous spool of thread, the yarn, with the aid of a spinning wheel. Afterwards, weaving was done, in which overlapping threads were slowly woven together using a loom. Other processes were made needed such as cleaning and dyeing. In 1733, John Kay invented a small device called a flying shuttle. With it, a piece of cloth could be woven in half the time it had taken before. James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny, which enabled one person to spin eight spools of yarn in the same time as one pool had taken previously. Also, Sir Richard Arkwright created the water-frame, which produced stronger thread than the spinning jenny. Samuel Crompton invented an even better spinning machine, the mule. Finally, Edmund Cartwright invented a power loom, which greatly increased the speed at which cloth was produced. As a conclusion, the Industrial Revolution had and has world-wide importance. It boosted the way in which goods were made since a long time; it made people understand that using reason things could be changed to enhance work and life at homes. It made them see that there is a much easier way to develop things and that that unique change is a process that evolves with time. Time is the key for the man to understand things and the world in which he lives in. The Industrial Revolution has huge relevance, and would inspire inventors and countries of the entire world to follow the same steps they followed before. Before everything started.